Nutritional assessment and demographic characteristics in infants assigned to a rural health center

Abstract

Food aid programs can contribute to the prevention of anemia, but in Nayarit there is little information about them. The objective was to describe the anthropometric, biochemical and demographic characteristics of rural infants enrolled in the PROSPERA program in a health center in Tepic, Nayarit. In addition, the effect of the supplement "VITA NIÑO" on hemoglobin levels was evaluated. An observational, retrospective study was carried out with 27 records obtained during one year. Females had a shorter gestation time (2.47 weeks) than males. It was observed that at early ages there is a low prevalence of anemia related to the consumption of exclusive breastfeeding. The prevalence of anemia was 33.33% between 8 and 43 months. The supplement did not show changes in the hemoglobin level, possibly associated with lack of adherence The effective monitoring and characterization of the new social care programs is essential.